Shaft-support.



F. W. WITTE.

SHAFT SUPPORT.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 18. I9!

Patented Apr; 20, 1915.

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THE NORRIS PETERS C0,. PHDTO-LITHOU WASHINGYOIVN. 11 l F. W. WITTE.

SHAFT SUPPORT.

'APPLICATION FILED MARJB- 19 Patented. Apr. 20, 1915.

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TED STATES PATENT orrron.

FRIEDRICH WILHELM WITTE, OF LEIPZIG-PLAGWITZ, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TD DEUTSCHE KUG-ELLAGERFABRIK G. M. B. 21., OF LEIPZIG-PLAGVJITZ, GERMANY.

SHAFT-SUPPORT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 2t), 1915.

Application filed March 18, 1911. Serial No. 615,211.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRmoRIoH WILHELM lVITTE, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Leipzig-Plagwitz, in the Empire of Germany, have invented a new and useful Shaft-Support, of which the following is a specification.

Ballbearings comprising an outer stationary race-ring and an inner rotary racering are very sensitive even to slight irregularities in the mounting and to deformations, whereby their employment in shaftings under such circumstances is rendered very diflicult.

My invention relates to means for so positioning and adjusting ball-bearings in hangers, plummenbloclzs and other shaftsupports, that all secondary strains produced by the said irregularities and deformations and likely to result in premature destruction of the ball-bearing are avoided.

he said means permit one to vertically and horizontally adjust the ball-bearing while leaving its outer stationary race-ring at liberty to slight shift and follow the varying bending of the shaft under the action of its load or strain. According to the circumstances either all or a partof the said means may be employed at a time, as may be required.

I will now proceed to describe my invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is an elevation of a hanger provided with means for vertically and horizontally adjusting a ball-bearing, parts being shown in section. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same, Fig. 3 is a section through the ball-bearing on the line A.B in Fig. l and shows a part of the shaft in elevation, Fig. 4: is a similar section through the line B-C in .Fig. 1, Fig. 5 is a section through the line DE in Fig. 2, Fig. 6 is similar to Fig. L and shows a modification, Fig. is an elevation of a part of a modified hanger with other means for vertically adjusting and horizontally securing a ball-bearing, Fig. 7 is a vertical section through the line FG in Fig. 7, Fig. 8 is a side view of the opposite part of the hanger in Fig. 7, Fig. 9 is an elevation of the greatest part of a plummer-block provided only with means for horizontally adjusting a ball-bearing, Fig. 10 is a horizontalsee:

tion through the line HJ in Fig. 9, and Fig. 11 is a vertical section through the part 0 shown in Fig. 9.

Similar letters of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Figs. 1 to 5 illustrate a hanger suitable for a ballbearing. The hanger it has an enlarged lower portion 7& shown in section in F ig. 5 and a large central hole 72 for the ball-bearing and two lateral cross holes 9 housing each a box 03. The ball-bearing may be of any known construction and comprises an outer stationary race-ring a, which is shown to have a spherical outside and to have therein two opposite recesses b b. Each recess has two horizontal faces 6 and 5 and a curved bottom Z2 which forms a part of a cylindrical surface, the vertical axis of which passes through the axis of the ball-bearing, as can be best seen from Fig. 4. The hanger h is provided with four adjusting screws 9 g which are disposed in parallel pairs in the same central cross plane and on both sides of the large central hole 72, the two screws 9 g in each pair being in the same axis and opposite to one another. Their reduced ends 9 9 have concave end faces which face one another. Between them a box d can be introduced into the cross hole 9, which box has in its vertical side (Z a threaded hole for a horizontal adjusting screw 6, which can be secured by means of a nut f. In its upper and lower surfaces the box (Z has a recess d larger in diameter than the reduced end g of any adjusting screw g. The bottom (Z of each recess (Z forms a part of a globular surface, the center of which is the point of intersection of the horizontal axis of the adjusting screw e and of the vertical axis of the two screws 9 g. The concave end faces of the reduced ends 9 g of the upper and lower adjusting screws 9 9 can press on the spherical bottoms (Z (Z of the recesses 03 d of the boxes (Z and it will be understood, that in this manner the center of the box (Z can be guided in the common axis of the two screws 9 g on the latter being vertically adjusted. After adjustment the two screws o 9 can be secured by means of nuts g 9 Each box (Z has a horizontal bore in the axis of the screw 6, in which bore the cylindrica-l pivot o of a guide 0 (Fig. 4) is rotatably mounted. The guide 0 has a reca of the ball-bearing is held in position be tween the two opposite guides c in the horizontal plane. In consequence of the construction described the rectangular part 0 is as high as the pivot 0 but longer than the width of th@ race-ring a. The inner end face of the adjusting screw 6 can bear against the end face 0 of the pivot c and as the latter may be longitudinally shifted inthe box (Z, it is evident, that the center of the ball-bearing can be horizontally adjusted, and also vertically by means of the adjusting screws 9 'g. It is very easy for the fitter to accurately adjust the two boxes (Z and the two guides 0, before he introduces the shaft 1" with the ball-bearing. When the shaft 1" bends under the action of its load or strain in the vertical plane, the outer race-ring a can turn with the two guides 0, since the pivots 0 of the latter are permitted to turn in the two boxes (Z. When 7 the shaft 1- bends in the horizontal plane,

this is permitted by the outer race-ring a sliding along the two plane surfaces of the rectangular parts 0 of the guides c in opposite directions. When the shaft contracts or expands in consequence of the variations of the temperature a like compensation will take place in the same locations, but on both sides in the same sense. In this manner the ball-bearing will be permitted to slightly shift in any direction and follow any bending of the shaft 0", so that all secondary strains upon the ball-bearing are avoided and consequently the latter is protected from premature destruction. When the outer stationary race-ring a of the ballbearing shows traces of wear on the loaded side, it is possible to turn the ball-bearing through an angle of 180, either around the shaft or about its vertical axis and to 'use its unused side.

Fig. 6 illustrates a modification, in which the bottom 6 of each recess 6 in the outer race-ring a is made plane and parallel to the axis of the shaft r, while the surface a in contact therewith of the guide 0 forms apart of a cylindrical surface. This simple construction is a little cheaper than that hereinbefore described and certainly answers for longitudinal contractions and expansions of the shaft, but is not so good for bendings of the shaft in the horizontal plane. It can be recommended only in case the forces acting in the said plane are small in proportion to thestrain to which the shaft is subjected.

In cases where the adjustability of the I ball-bearing in the horizontal plane is of noimportance, the means described for positioning and adjusting the ball-bearing may be simplified in amanner illustrated at Figs. 7- to 8. Here the outer race-rlng a' of the hanger may be provided with a vertical slot 70 in the horizontal plane of the shaft,in which slot a stop-screw Z can be adjusted by means of nuts m m for taking up the thrust of the shaft. The stop-screw l can be made to exactly touch the outside of the outer race-ring a and can be vertically adjusted in the slot 7: so as to be exactly in the horizontal plane of the ball-bearing.

If the hanger is closed,that is made integral on both sides with the lower part 70 of course a similar stop-screw may be disposed on the opposite side, so that the strain in either direction can be taken up.

In order that the stop screw Z will not prevent the shaft from bending and the ballbearing from turning around the pivots 0 it is preferable to form the portion of the ring a likely to come in contact with the V contact-screw Z as a part of a solid of revolution, the axisof which coincides with that of the two adjusting screws 2'.

In other cases, such as for example for countershafts or shafts supported only on tow or three points, it will suffice to adjust the ball-bearing only transversely. Then the arrangement illustrated at Figs. 9 to 11 for a plummer-block may be employed. Here the outer race-ring-a is made globular on its outside and is inserted in a shell a? having a globular outside and inside. This shella has in its globular outside two opposite recesses b 6 as described above with reference to Fig. 1. In these recesses two guides c c are made to engage, which are similar to those described above with reference to Figs. 1' and 2, only that they have each a central bore 0 '(Fig. 11) and no pivot. In this central borejc the reduced female thread in one of the two eyes 0 of the plummer-block o and can be therein sewith the guides 10 being again turned cylindrical end a of a horizontal adjusting screw 71. can engage,which latter engages in r through an angle of 90 as described above with reference to Fig. 7.

I claim:

1. In a shaft support, an automatically adjustable ball-bearing comprising an inner rotary race-ring, an outer stationary racering having opposite recesses diametrically located, guides having each an extension reaching into the corresponding recess, said recesses being wider than the guides to allow an axial shifting of the bearing and having rounded bottoms to allow a movement around a line crossing the axis of the hearing, and a swinging pivot for each guide connecting the guide with the shaft support.

2. In a shaft support, an automatically adjustable ball-bearing comprising an inner rotary race-ring, an outer stationary racering having two opposite recesses diametrically located, two guides having each an extension reaching into the corresponding recess, said recesses being wider than the guides to allow an axial shifting of the bearing and having rounded bottoms to allow a movement around a line crossing the axis of the bearing, and a cylindrical pivot for each guide establishing connection with the shaft support. 1

3. In a shaft-support, the combination with a ball-bearing for a shaft comprising an inner rotary race-ring, an outer stationary race-ring spherical on the outside and balls between them, of meansfor adjusting thev ball bearing, and means for allowing said outer spherical race-ring to slightly shift under the strain of the load comprising, a support, two opposite adjusting screws in the same axis in said support, the outer race-ring having in its outside portion two opposite recesses with sides in two parallel planes equidistant from the axis of the shaft and with rounded bottoms at right angles to these two planes, the vertical axis of said rounded bottoms cutting the axis of the shaft, and two guides with parallel side surfaces revolubly connected with said two adjusting screws and adapted to engage with their plane side surfaces in the two recesses of said outer race-ring.

4:. In a shaft-support, the combination with a ball-bearing for a shaft comprising an inner rotary race-ring, an outer stationary race-ring spherical on the outside and balls between them, of a shell encircling the outer race-ring of said ball-bearing and having a spherical outer surface with two opposite recesses which have side surfaces in two parallel planes equidistant from the axis of the shaft and rounded bottoms at right angles to these two planes, the vertical axis of said rounded bottoms cutting the axis of the shaft, a support, two opposite adjusting screws on the same axis in said support, and two guides with parallel side surfaces revolubly connected with said two adjusting screws and adapted to engage their side surfaces in the two recesses of said shell.

FRIEDRICH WILHELM WITTE.

Witnesses:

RUDOLPH FRICKE, ALBERT R. MORAWETZ.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

